Forbes’ annual list of the ‘Highest Paid Comedians in the World’ was just released and once again Jerry Seinfeld is ranked #1, but there are some new comes and returners to the list, and one name I don’t recognize at all. This year Seinfeld made an absolute KILLING when Hulu purchased the rights to his eponymous TV show Seinfeld, which netted him nearly 4x the amount that most of the other highest paid comedians made in 2015.
Kevin Hart was #2 on the list thanks in part to his arduous arena tour all across the nation, and his $28.5 million in earnings for 2015 was also padded by his appearances in the Wedding Ringer and Get Hard blockbuster films.
The list of the highest paid comedians in the world for 2015 is as follows (via Forbes).
The World’s Highest Paid Comedians, 2015
1. Jerry Seinfeld, $36 million
2. Kevin Hart, $28.5 million
3. Terry Fator, $21.5 million
4. (tie) Jeff Dunham, $19 million
4. (tie) Russell Peters, $19 million
6. Aziz Ansari, $9.5 million
7. Louis C.K., $9 million
8. Gabriel Iglesia, $8.5 million
9. John Bishop, $8 million (seriously, who the fuck is this guy?!)
10. Dave Chappelle, $7.5 million
I’m stoked to see Dave Chappelle back on the list after taking what seemed like a 100-year-long hiatus from comedy. Dave was able to bring in $7.5 million in 2015 thanks in part to his first nationwide comedy tour in years, and he has a role in the upcoming Spike Lee film Chiraq that’s certainly padding his fiscal earnings. And because I still don’t have a fucking clue who John Bishop is (a self-described ‘angry Welsh man’), I looked him up on YouTube. So here’s a clip of John Bishop’s stand up routine at The Apollo in Harlem from back in 2011. It’s funny enough, I guess. But top 10 highest paid comedians in the world for 2015? I don’t really get it.
Notably missing from the list are any comediennes, which has stirred some controversy. Frankly I’m shocked that Amy Schumer isn’t on this list with how over-exposed she was in 2015, I’d actually expected her to be in the top 3. I guess maybe she’s not touring hard enough and focusing too much on TV + movies? Because the tours are where most of these comedians make their bread and butter, ticket sales is KING.
Anywho, for more analysis on how these 10 comedians made their millions in 2015 click on over to Forbes!